Nothing ruled out in probe of prosecutor's death

Brutal slaying

Posted: Sunday, December 07, 2003

By Brian WitteAssociated Press

BALTIMORE - Authorities haven't ruled anything out as they try to determine what led to the brutal killing of a federal prosecutor who was repeatedly stabbed and found face down in a Pennsylvania creek, an FBI spokesman said Saturday.

Investigators have been interviewing people connected with cases Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Luna prosecuted, as well as friends and associates, to determine if his death was related to work or something more personal.

''Everything is on the table,'' FBI spokesman Larry Foust said. ''We've drawn no conclusion either way.''

Lancaster County, Pa., District Attorney Donald R. Totaro wouldn't comment on whether investigators had specific theories or suspects in mind. He denied reports that investigators had determined the attack on Jonathan Luna was the result of a personal dispute.

''There are many avenues that need to be explored, so I think it would be very premature to suggest that this case or the course of this investigation has been narrowed to that extent,'' Totaro said.

However, a federal law enforcement official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told The Associated Press on Saturday that investigators had found nothing to indicate the crime was connected to Luna's work and were looking at his personal life.

The motive is significant and could determine where the case would be prosecuted and at what level.

If Luna's death was related to his official duties, it would be a federal case that could be prosecuted in either Pennsylvania or Maryland, said Joseph Evans, a former federal prosecutor in Baltimore. A federal case, particularly if kidnapping were among the charges, could bring the death penalty. If it was personal, it likely would go to state authorities in Lancaster County.

Totaro said he would meet Monday with Thomas DiBiagio, the U.S. attorney in Maryland who was Luna's boss, to discuss strategy in the joint investigation.

Meanwhile, the FBI in Baltimore released a statement Saturday saying federal agents continued to work with the Pennsylvania State Police and numerous other law enforcement agencies in the investigation.

''All I can say is we are putting as many resources as we possibly can in the FBI, along with other supporting agencies, and we are working around the clock, nonstop, and we will continue to do so,'' Foust said.

Luna, 38, was attacked after leaving his office in Baltimore around midnight Wednesday.

His body was found Thursday morning with 36 stab wounds. Even though he had been stabbed repeatedly, possibly with a penknife, he died from drowning, Lancaster County coroner Barry Walp said.

Luna's car was found nearby with blood on the driver's side door and fender, a large pool of blood on the floor, and money and cell phone equipment scattered inside, according to a police search warrant affidavit. The affidavit also said Luna had a ''traumatic wound'' on the right side of his head.

The day before his death, Luna had worked out plea deals with attorneys for two men accused of running a violent heroin ring from a rap studio. He also had recently prosecuted a man who plotted to burn down a home to force six Mexican men out of a neighborhood and three men involved in a violent crack distribution network. All the defendants entered guilty pleas.